Topi Ruotsalainen

I paint people.
Human beings, the human.
Human characteristics.
Ways of being.
Obsessions and efforts.
The desire to own, to possess, to receive, to experience.
The desire for another human being.
The desire for the world.
A human amongst human beings.
The world amongst human beings.

And yet, the act of painting human beings remains secondary to me. After all, the people in my paintings are just building blocks, brush strokes in human form, mere elements conveying my experience of the world.

Master of Fine Arts, 2009, Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland

Master of Arts, 2005, University of Art & Design, Helsinki, Finland

2001 Studio Art Centers International (SACI) Florence, Italy

Solo Exhibitions
2023 Savonian Epic, Galleria Ars Libera, Kuopio FIN; 2021 2021:A Folk Epic, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2020 Animal Dam, Galleria Pato, Kuusankoski; 2019 GalleriAri, Mikkeli; 2019 Planet of the Apes, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2016 Elementary, Galleria Pato, Kuusankoski; 2016 Holy day, another day, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2014 Brief case, Showroom Berliini, Berlin; 2014 News & Reruns (directors cut), Galleria 12, Kuopio; 2013 Possessions & Positions, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2011 Jingle all the way, S-windowgallery, Helsinki; 2010 Travels into several remote nations of the world, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2007 Insiders, galleria Katariina, Helsinki; 2006 GalleriAri, Mikkeli; 2005 Looking for mango, Kuopio Museum Tower; 2005 Galerie Oljemark, Helsinki

Group Exhibitions
2022 Art Centre Ahjo, Joensuu; 2021 Guild Pavilion, Galleria Aarni, Espoo 2021 Galleria Ars Libera, Kuopio; 2021 Art Salon Talvio, Hartola; 2021 Salo Art Museum; 2021 ABC-Collections, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2021 Wolf, Keuruu Museum; 2021 Emil Cedercreutz Museum; 2020 Winter Collections, Galleria Heino, Helsinki; 2020 Nature Centre Haltia, Espoo; 2019 Mind the Gap – Silence & Masculinity, Meinblaum Projektraum, Berlin; 2019 Guild Pavilion, Es...